Chapter 439
Chapter 439:
The exhibition had never originally been planned for a museum setting. But the accidental damage during transit had prompted officials to reframe the situation, presenting the restoration as a teachable moment on the importance of proper artifact handling.
At the bottom of the article, the restorer responsible for the repair was credited at length and praised in the most glowing terms imaginable.
The name was Elyse.
Kristine stared at the screen.
She read it again. Then a third time, slowly, to be certain she hadn’t misread anything.
There was no ambiguity. The article credited Elyse, exclusively and effusively, with saving the piece.
“I saw that earlier,” Alma said, pulling Kristine back to the room. “Is it actually true that Elyse had something to do with that deer head p>
Kristine understood then that Alma hadn’t been watching the election coverage at all. She had been following this story — which made sense, since the damage had occurred while the statue was in Evira, making it a matter of local concern.
But Kristine still couldn’t fathom how Elyse’s name had ended up attached to this repair.
“Give me a minute,” she said. She pulled out her phone and searched for coverage in Rymonst.
𝘙о𝗆aո𝘤𝘦 𝗮n𝖽 𝗉a𝘴𝗌𝗂𝘰n 𝘰ո.с𝘰𝗺
Multiple articles came up, all covering the same story. In every one of them, Elyse was portrayed as the brilliant restorer who had single-handedly saved a national treasure. The praise was overwhelming.
Kristine almost laughed.
Elyse had no knowledge of artifact conservation. She couldn’t have performed this restoration. The idea was so absurd it bordered on comedy — except that it wasn’t funny at all.
She set the phone down and dialed Victor.
“Mr. Todd p>
“We’ve been made fools of, Kristine!” Victor cut her off before she could finish. “The whole thing was a setup from the start p>
The details came out in a torrent as he explained.
About a week before the event, an anonymous party had contacted Victor and the other conservators and commissioned them to restore the deer head sculpture. The piece had been out of public view for years, and the opportunity to work on it was extraordinary — the kind of commission that came once in a career. They had agreed immediately.
But there had been a condition attached. Before beginning the work, they were required to sign a confidentiality agreement forbidding them from disclosing their identities or their involvement in the restoration.
It was an unusual clause, but not an unheard-of one. Wealthy collectors frequently preferred to keep their transactions private. Victor and the others had signed without hesitation, too excited by the opportunity to question the terms.
They had not understood, until now, that the agreement was not designed to protect a private collector. It was designed to prevent them from defending themselves when someone else claimed credit for their work.
“Elyse orchestrated the whole thing!” Victor’s voice was shaking with fury. “And now the entire world believes she’s the one who saved it! I don’t usually care about recognition — but this woman despises Kristine. I am not letting her walk away with this. I’m going to find her and expose her for exactly what she is p>